Timed locking anti-sweep method for a display device for merchandise

ABSTRACT

An anti-sweep device having a mechanism that allows a customer to take a pre-determined number of items from a peg or display hook, after which the hook is locked for a pre-determined period of time before allowing another predetermined number of items to be taken.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of and claims the benefit of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/879,100, filed on 10 Sep. 2010, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/242,532, filed 15 Sep.2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The invention is generally related to the field of display devices forsupporting and displaying items and is more specifically related to thefield of locking anti-sweep display devices that prevent or discouragetheft of the displayed items by incorporating a locking mechanism. Theinvention also relates to the field of timed locking display devicesthat allow the removal of one or a certain number of items from thedevice during a predetermined length or period of time.

2. Related Art

Peg or display hooks are commonly used in retail stores for displayingmerchandise. Several of the same items can be hung on a single hook todisplay the items for sale. This display method has several advantages,including allowing continuous viewing of the item. When the front itemis removed on a single hook display, the next item is visible, whichallows several items to be stocked on the sales floor at one time. Asingle hook display method also accommodates various displayconfigurations because the hooks can be moved about the supportingpegboard wall almost at will. Such hooks, however, also can allowthieves to take many items from the hooks easily and in a very shortperiod of time. The taking of many or all of the in-stock units of aparticular product by thieves (commonly referred to as “sweeping”) is amajor problem in the retail industry.

There have been many attempts to solve the sweeping problem whilemaintaining a display that is reasonably accessible and versatile. Someproposed solutions used in conjunction with a single hook displayinclude a locking device on the hook that locks up only a selectedportion of the merchandise, leaving the rest available for purchase andremoval. While this method exposes only the units in front of thelocking device to potential theft, the units behind the lock,disadvantageously, must be maintained, constantly monitored, and movedin front of the lock by personnel in order to be accessible by customerswishing to purchase the merchandise. If a supply of items is notmonitored and continuously made available in front of the lock, thecustomer has to bear the inconvenience of finding an employee to unlockthe device to allow the customer to take the item, and the employeesmust dedicate increased time performing these tasks.

Other solutions to the sweeping problem involve modifying a display racksuch that it is more difficult to remove products from the display. Suchmodifications can include forcing one to manipulate parts or to navigatea crooked track in order to remove the merchandise from the display.These modifications, however, do not provide much deterrence to askilled thief, but can greatly annoy and potentially deter customers.

Still other solutions employ devices to prevent multiple items frombeing taken at the same time. While such solutions are generallyeffective at preventing a thief from sweeping, such devices may notprevent the theft of many individual items and often merely slow thepace of a skilled “sweeper.” As an illustration, if a thief wouldnormally take about five seconds to sweep all of the merchandise at oncefrom a straight, unlocked hook, and about ten seconds to take all of theproducts at once from a crooked or other type of hook, the deterrentfactor is likely to be minimal.

Although there are many different types of peg or display hooks used inthe retail industry to display merchandise, there are four basic commondesigns: a straight hook, a parallel bar hook, hooks incorporating asafety mechanism, and hooks incorporating a security lock. For example,U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,547 discloses a display means for supporting anddisplaying merchandise on a hole-punched display board or the like,comprising a hanger-means and a merchandise container adapted to bependently supported thereon. The hanger means comprises a bracketadapted to hook into the hole-punched display board and a generallyhorizontally extending arm adapted to support a container. Thehorizontally extending arm comprises a pair of generally parallel,spaced wire components joined at their forward ends by means of a loopwhich is integral therewith, at least one of said parallel wirecomponents being bent upwardly at its back end to form a vertical bar,and then bent forwardly in generally parallel relation to saidhorizontally extending arm to form a horizontal bar. The vertical bar issecured to a bracket to support both the horizontally extending arm andthe horizontal bar thereon. The device also comprises a price tagbracket being mounted on the forward end of the horizontal bar.

U.S. Pat. No. D555,462 discloses a design for a dual arm pegboard hook.This design has horizontally parallel arms terminating on one end with amounting bracket and on the other end connecting to each other via anupturned lip.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,440 discloses a merchandise hook for the display ofcarded and/or bagged merchandise having safety features. The merchandisehook is formed of a single, continuous wire-like element and includesupper and lower outwardly extending arms. The upper arm is a safety armand has, at its outer extremity, a downwardly extending guard means,which may in part comprise an integral, downwardly extending portion ofthe wire. The lower portion of the display hook comprises a merchandisesupporting arm, which terminates at least slightly inward of the guardmeans carried by the upper arm. The merchandise supporting arm canterminate in an upwardly inclined end portion, so that the end extremityof the lower wire is located behind and, in some cases, just slightlybelow the guard means depending from the upper arm. A removableattachment is carried by the safety arm at its forward extremity, andforms a plate-like label holder that serves in part to guard and protectthe forward extremity of the merchandise hook. The label holder alsoserves the purpose of providing for the display, at the forward-mostextremity of the unit, easy scanning by computer input equipment of aUniversal Product Code label specific to the merchandise on display atthe hanger.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,685 discloses a peg board hook and security lockassembly for displaying merchandise. This device includes a verticalmounting plate having on its upper edge a first hook portion forsuspending the device from a first opening in a peg board, and a backerplate having a second hook portion, the backer plate being fastened tothe vertical mounting plate for securing the lower portion of themounting plate to a second opening in the peg board. A cantilevered postextending outwardly from the mounting plate and including on its distalend a notched surface and a locking mechanism selectively engagable withthe notched surface, provides a point-of-purchase device for displayingmerchandise in a reasonably secure manner so as to prevent shopliftingof the merchandise on display.

Accordingly, there is always a need for an improved peg or display hook.Additionally, there is always a need for an improved peg or display hookthat has anti-sweep and/or anti-theft features. Further, there is alwaysa need for an improved peg or display hook that allows prospectivepurchasers to easily view the displayed items, allows actual purchasersto easily remove one or a limited number of the displayed items from thedevice for purchase, and prevents potential and actual shoplifters fromremoving more than one or a limited number of the displayed items fromthe device in a certain predetermined period of time. It is to theseneeds, among others, that this invention is directed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, the present invention is a locking mechanism activated at apoint of product selection comprising a movable locking protrusion whichis movable from a first pivot position for releasing a predeterminedquantity of the merchandise from the display bar and for preventing anyremainder of the merchandise from being removed to a second pivotposition for locking the merchandise on a display bar. Thisconfiguration allows a customer to remove a predetermined number ofdisplay items from a first pivot position of the locking protrusion,which causes the locking protrusion to move to a second pivot positionwhich locks the remaining items for a predetermined period of time toprevent the taking of any additional items. After the expiration of thepredetermined period of time, the mechanism moves back to a first pivotposition, allowing an additional predetermined number of items to beremoved while the remaining items are secured. On a common display orpeg hook known in the art, a customer simply slides one or more itemsoff of the end of the hook and then proceeds to pay for the item. Incontrast, in one embodiment of the present invention, the device is anapparatus that is affixed to (or part of) a display or peg hook. In thisexemplary embodiment, the display or peg hook is secured to a peg board(or other wall structure), and one or more items are supported orsuspended on the display or peg hook. The device comprises a mechanismthat can interfere with the sliding of the item off of the hook. As thecustomer is taking the first item, this item is moved across andcontacts a generally L-shaped protrusion on a pivot in a first pivotposition, thus causing the protrusion to pivot to a second pivotposition. As the item pushes down the first leg of the protrusion, thepivoting of the protrusion causes the second leg of the protrusion topivot upward behind the item, thus preventing a second item from beingremoved from the hook in the second pivot position.

The pivot also acts as a trigger which signals electronic circuitry,which programmatically determines whether to activate a solenoid. Theelectronic circuitry can be wired, battery powered, solar powered, USBpowered, or any other suitable power source for operating electroniccircuitry. If the solenoid is activated in the second pivot position, alocking mechanism is actuated to prevent the protrusion from pivotingbackward. While in the second pivot position, the second leg of theprotrusion forms a barrier to prevent any additional items from beingremoved from the hook. The circuitry then counts down a predeterminedtime period before reversing the direction of the solenoid, sending themechanism back to a first pivot position. A weight in the second leg ofthe protrusion, optionally combined with a spring beneath the first legof the protrusion, then causes the pivot to fall back into the firstpivot position to ready the next item for removal by another customer. Akey or other device carried by an employee can be used to deactivate thepivoting mechanism or allow removal of the pivot for restocking orremoval of a locked item at a customer's request.

These and other uses, features, and advantages of the present inventionwill become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant artwhen the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments isread in conjunction with the appended figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

All of the figures are partial sections so as to better show the variouscomponents of the invention.

FIG. 1 comprises three views of a first embodiment of the invention.FIG. 1A is a top view of an embodiment of the device being attached to ahook. FIG. 1B is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1A attached to ahook. FIG. 1C is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing themovable locking protrusion in a first pivot position and four itemshanging on the hook.

FIG. 2 comprises three views of the first embodiment of the invention.FIG. 2A is an end sectional view of the device in the process of beingplaced within parallel bars of the hook for attachment thereto. FIG. 2Bis an end sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1A of the device beingattached to the hook. FIG. 2C is an end sectional view corresponding toFIG. 1B of the device attached to the hook.

FIG. 3 comprises six views of the first embodiment of the invention inoperation. FIG. 3A shows a first item being removed from the hook andcontacting the first leg of the protrusion, where the movable lockingprotrusion is in a first pivot position. FIG. 3B shows the protrusionbeing pivoted by the action of the movement of the first item with thefirst leg moving downward in front of the path of the first item and thesecond leg moving upward behind the first item and in front of thesecond item.

FIG. 3C shows the first leg moving further downward and entering a slotin the device triggering the circuitry and locking mechanism, the secondleg moving further upward, and the locking bar being lifted to thesecond locked position. In combination, FIGS. 3B-3C illustrate theaction of the movable locking protrusion moving from a first pivotposition to a second pivot position. FIG. 3D shows the movable lockingprotrusion in a second pivot position with the first leg of the movablelocking protrusion pivoted downward to a horizontal stopping pointwithin the slot and the second leg pivoted upward to a vertical stoppingpoint behind the first item and in front of the second item, assistedinto place by the locking mechanism, and the locking bar in the secondlocked position. FIG. 3E shows the first item removed and the solenoidpiston and locking bar returned to the first unlocked position. FIG. 3Fshows the protrusion having pivoted back to the first pivot position.

FIG. 4 comprises two views illustrating greater detail of a firstembodiment of the locking mechanism. FIG. 4A illustrates the lockingmechanism in the second locked position and the movable lockingprotrusion in a second pivot position. FIG. 4B illustrates the lockingmechanism in the first unlocked position.

FIG. 5 comprises two views illustrating greater detail of an alternativeembodiment of the locking mechanism. FIG. 5A illustrates the lockingmechanism in the second locked position and the movable lockingprotrusion in a second pivot position. FIG. 5B illustrates the lockingmechanism in the first unlocked position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1A is a top view of an embodiment of the device being attached to adisplay hook having horizontally parallel arms joined together at oneend and secured to the peg board at the other. FIG. 1B is a top view ofthe embodiment of FIG. 1A now attached to the hook. FIG. 1C is a sideview of the embodiment of FIG. 1 attached to the hook and in the initialoperating position showing the movable locking protrusion in a firstpivot position and four items hanging on the hook. FIG. 2A is an endsectional view of the device in the process of being placed within theparallel arms of the hook for attachment thereto. FIG. 2B is an endsectional view corresponding to FIG. 1A of the device in the properposition for being attached to the hook. FIG. 2C is an end sectionalview corresponding to FIG. 1B of the device attached to the hook.

FIGS. 3A-3F show the operation of the embodiment of the invention asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIGS. 3A-3D show an item being removed from thehook and the pivoting of the movable locking protrusion from a firstpivot position in FIG. 3A, allowing removal of an item from the hook, toa second pivot position in FIG. 3D, preventing removal of any additionalitems from the hook. Specifically, FIG. 1A shows a first item beingremoved from the hook and contacting the first leg of the protrusion.FIG. 3B shows the protrusion being pivoted to a second pivot position bythe action of the movement of the first item with the first leg movingdownward in front of the path of the first item and the second legmoving upward behind the first item and in front of the second item.FIG. 3C shows the first leg moving further downward toward a secondpivot position and entering a slot in the device, triggering thecircuitry and locking mechanism, and the second leg moving furtherupward. The locking bar can be seen being lifted to the lockingposition. FIG. 3D shows the first leg pivoted downward to a horizontalstopping point within the slot at the second pivot position and thesecond leg pivoted upward to a vertical stopping point behind the firstitem and in front of the second item, assisted into place by the lockingmechanism. The locking bar can be seen in the second locked position,thus preventing the removal of the second and any further items from thehook. FIG. 3E shows the first item removed and the locking mechanismbeing reset to the first unlocked position. FIG. 3F shows the protrusionhaving pivoted back to the first pivot position.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate a first embodiment of the locking mechanism in asecond locked position and the locking mechanism returning to a firstunlocked position, respectively, and showing in more detail thecooperation between the solenoid piston and the locking bar. FIGS. 5A-Billustrate an alternative embodiment of the locking mechanism in asecond locked position and in a first locked position, respectively, andshowing in more detail the unitary solenoid piston/locking barstructure.

The present invention is a mechanism that allows a customer to take anitem from a peg or display hook, after which the hook is locked for apre-determined period of time before allowing another item or number ofitems to be taken. In one embodiment, a locking apparatus or mechanismis affixed to (or part of) a hook. As the customer (or thief) is takingthe first item, the item is moved across a pivoting, locking protrusion.The protrusion also acts as a trigger which signals electronic circuitryto activate a solenoid, which in turn actuates a locking mechanism toprevent the protrusion from pivoting backward. While locked in thesecond pivot position, the protrusion keeps additional items from beingtaken off of the hook. The circuitry then counts down a predeterminedtime period before reversing the direction of the solenoid, whichunlocks the mechanism and returns it to the first pivot position. Aweight in the protrusion then causes the protrusion to pivot and fallback into the first pivot position to await removal of the nextpredetermined number of pieces of merchandise. A key carried by anemployee can be used to deactivate the locking mechanism or allowremoval of the protrusion for restocking or to accommodate customerrequests for the removal of additional items.

FIG. 1 comprises three views of a first embodiment of the invention. Thedevice 10 is shown in connection with a typical display peg hook 12having a U-shaped support bar 14 attached to a mounting bracket 16. TheU-shaped support bar comprises two parallel bars 14A, 14B and aconnecting end bar 14C. The device 10 comprises a central body 18,mounting mechanism 20 having attachment means 20A, 20B for cooperatingwith parallel bars 14A, 14B, respectively, pivoting bridge means 22 forattaching attachment means 20A, 20B to central body 18, and merchandiselocking mechanism 21 (FIG. 1C). Merchandise locking mechanism 21comprises movable locking protrusion 24, locking bar 26, solenoid piston28, solenoid coil 46, riser bars 48A-D, pivot return bar 50, and pivotreturn spring 52. Merchandise 30 hangs on display peg hook 12.

FIG. 1A is a top view of an embodiment of the device 10 being attachedto display peg hook 12. In this view, mounting mechanism 20 is shown inthe unmounted position. The device 10 is mounted on the display peg hook12 by setting the device 10 in the unmounted position with attachmentmeans 20A, 20B in an offset position in which attachment means 20A, 20Bare located in close proximity to the central body 18 such that thedevice 10 can be placed between parallel bars 14A, 14B. A first end 18Aof central body 18 comprises a structure that cooperates with connectingend bar 14C so as to assist in securely holding device 10 onto displaypeg hook 12. A second end 18B of central body 18 comprises a levermechanism 32 for activating mounting mechanism 20.

FIG. 1B is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1A attached to displaypeg hook 12. In this view, mounting mechanism 20 is shown in the mountedposition. Using a screw driver or the like, lever mechanism 32 isrotated so as to rotate pivoting bridge means 22, which in turn movesattachment means 20A, 20B outward so as to cooperate with parallel bars14A, 14B, which assist in securely holding device 10 onto display peghook 12. Edges of attachment means 20A, 20B are structured to cooperatewith parallel bars 14A, 14B. In this position, first end 18A andattachment means 20A, 20B provide for a secure mounting of device 10onto display peg hook 12.

FIG. 1C is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the movablelocking protrusion 24 in a first pivot position and four items ofmerchandise 30 hanging on display peg hook 12. As will be discussed inconnection with FIG. 3, merchandise 30 can be removed from display peghook 12 by sliding the merchandise toward and past merchandise lockingmechanism 21 and off of first end 18A of display peg hook 12.

FIGS. 1A-1C also illustrate one configuration for merchandise lockingmechanism 21. Locking protrusion 24 is an L-shaped component that ispivotally mounted in a cavity of central body 18. Locking protrusion 24can pivot approximately 90° from the first pivot position shown in FIG.1C to the second pivot position shown in FIG. 3D. Pivot bar 38 islocated approximately at the vertex between the two legs 24A, 24B oflocking protrusion 24. First leg 24A comprises trigger 42 for activatingcircuitry activation switch 44. Second leg 24B comprises weight 40 forreturning locking protrusion 24 to the first pivot position from thesecond pivot position. Solenoid coil 46 activates solenoid piston 28,which acts upon locking bar 26 at approximately the vertex or the secondleg 24B and is operated by timer circuitry 34. Both solenoid coil 46 andtimer circuitry 34 are powered by power source 36.

In operation, solenoid coil 46 acts on solenoid piston 28 so as to slidesolenoid piston 28 back and forth (horizontally as shown in theillustrative figures). Solenoid piston 28 comprises an inclined plane,and locking bar 26 comprises an inverted inclined plane. The inclinedplane of the solenoid piston 28 cooperates with the inverted inclinedplane of the locking bar 26 so as to lift locking bar 26 upward betweenriser bars 48A-48D into the second locked position. More specifically,solenoid piston 28 slides locking bar 26 back and forth between thefirst unlocked position shown in FIG. 1C and the second locked positionshown in FIG. 3D. In operation, in the first unlocked position, lockingbar 26 does not interfere with the movement of locking protrusion 24,which can pivot freely between the first pivot position and the secondpivot position. However, weight 40 keeps locking protrusion 24 in thefirst pivot position unless and until something acts upon lockingprotrusion 24. When a customer slides an item of merchandise 30 alongdisplay peg hook 12, merchandise 30 contacts first leg 24A, thuspivoting locking protrusion 24 from the first pivot position to thesecond pivot position as the customer continues to remove merchandise 30from display peg hook 12. Weight 40 is not so heavy so as to preventthis pivoting. As locking protrusion 24 pivots to the second pivotposition, trigger 42 contacts circuitry activation switch 44 causingsolenoid coil 46 to activate, sliding solenoid piston 28 to move lockingbar 26 to the second locked position and to initiate the timer circuitry34.

In the second locked position, locking bar 26 has been forced upward bythe action of the inclined plane of solenoid piston 28 on the invertedinclined plane of locking bar 26 such that locking bar 26 contactssecond leg 24B proximal to the vertex of locking protrusion 24, thusholding locking protrusion 24 in the second pivot position, that is withsecond leg 24B extending upward. This locking operation is disclosed inmore detail in conjunction with FIGS. 4 a and 4B herein.

In an alternative configuration, solenoid piston 28 and locking bar 26are combined into a single structure. In this alternative embodiment, inthe second locked position, solenoid piston 28/locking bar 26 slidesunder and contacts the vertex of locking protrusion 24, thus holdinglocking protrusion 24 in the second pivot position, that is with secondleg 24B extending upward.

In the second pivot position, no more merchandise 30 can be removed fromdisplay peg hook 12 without potentially damaging the device 10, themerchandise 30, or packaging for the merchandise 30. More specifically,with locking protrusion 24 in the second pivot position, the act ofremoving merchandise 30 from display peg hook 12 will cause merchandise30 to contact second leg 24B and be held on display peg hook 12.

After a certain period of time, timer circuitry 34 causes solenoid coil46 to move solenoid piston 28 to the first unlocked position. In thefirst embodiment disclosed above, this allows locking bar 26 to fallback down into the first unlocked position. In the alternativeembodiment disclosed above, solenoid piston 28/locking bar 26 slides outfrom underneath locking protrusion 24. In both embodiments, this allowsweight 40 to cause locking protrusion 24 to pivot back to the firstpivot position, which will allow the removal of another item ofmerchandise 30.

FIG. 2 comprises three views of the first embodiment of the inventionillustrating from an end view the operation of the embodiment of themounting mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 1. These views are end views showinghow the embodiment of FIG. 1 can be mounted on a display peg hook 12.

FIG. 2A is an end sectional view of device 10 in the process of beingplaced within parallel bars 14A, 14B of display peg hook 12 forattachment thereto. Attachment means 20A, 20B are shown in the retractedposition such that they are relatively close to central body 18, anddevice 10 is thin enough to fit between parallel bars 14A, 14B. Device10 is rotated so that it is located between parallel bars 14A, 14B.

FIG. 2B is an end sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1A of device 10being attached to display peg hook 12. In this view, attachment means20A, 20B are ready to be moved outward via the action of pivoting bridgemeans 22 so as to contact and cooperate with parallel bars 14A, 14B.

FIG. 2C is an end sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1B of device 10attached to display peg hook 12. In this view, mounting mechanism 20 isshown in the mounted position. Using a screw driver or the like, levermechanism 32 (FIG. 1) has been rotated so as to rotate pivoting bridgemeans 22, which in turn moved attachment means 20A, 20B outward tocooperate with parallel bars 14A, 14B so as to assist in securelyholding device 10 onto display peg hook 12. As can be seen in this viewin more detail, edges of attachment means 20A, 20B are structured tocooperate with parallel bars 14A, 14B.

FIG. 3 comprises six views of the embodiment of the device 10 shown inFIG. 1 in operation. More specifically, these views show an item ofmerchandise 30 being removed from a display peg hook 12 having thedevice 10 according to the present invention.

FIG. 3A shows a first of four items of merchandise 30A-30D being removedfrom display peg hook 12. In this view, first item of merchandise 30Ahas been moved (or is originally located) over movable lockingprotrusion 24, specifically just proximal to first leg 24A and justabove second leg 24B. Locking protrusion 24, locking bar 26, andsolenoid piston 28 are shown in the first pivot position and firstunlocked position, respectively.

FIG. 3B shows locking protrusion 24 being pivoted to the second pivotposition by the action of the movement of first item of merchandise 30Aacross locking protrusion 24. More specifically, as first item ofmerchandise 30A is moved across locking protrusion 24, it causes firstleg 24A to move downward in front of the path of first item ofmerchandise 30A and second leg 24B to move upward behind first item ofmerchandise 30A and in front of second item of merchandise 30B. Lockingprotrusion 24, locking bar 26, and solenoid piston 28 continue to be inthe first pivot position and first unlocked position, respectively.

FIG. 3C shows first leg 24A moving further downward toward the secondpivot position and entering a slot in device 10 and second leg 24Bmoving further upward. Locking protrusion 24, locking bar 26, andsolenoid piston 28 are shown moving into the second pivot position andsecond locked position, respectively. More specifically, first leg 24Ahas been pivoted to a sufficient degree such that trigger 42 contactscircuitry activation switch 44, activating solenoid coil 46, which movessolenoid piston 28 to the left. Solenoid piston 28 is shown moving tothe left such that the inclined slope on solenoid piston 28 acts uponthe inverted inclined slope of locking bar 26, thus beginning to forcelocking bar 26 upward between riser bars 48A-D.

FIG. 3D shows first leg 24A pivoted downward to a horizontal stoppingpoint within the slot and second leg 24B pivoted upward to a verticalstopping point behind first item of merchandise 30A and in front ofsecond item of merchandise 30B. In this view, solenoid piston 28 hasbeen moved sufficiently to the left to move locking bar 26 upward andinto a position against second leg 24B proximal to the vertex of lockingprotrusion 24 so as to lock locking protrusion 24 with second leg 24Bupright into the second pivot position. With locking protrusion 24 beinglocked in the second pivot position, display peg hook 12 is lockedclosed so as to prevent or make more difficult the removal of seconditem of merchandise 30B (and other items of merchandise 30C, 30D, etc.)from display peg hook 12. Timer circuitry 34 also has been activated.

FIG. 3E shows first item of merchandise 30A removed and lockingprotrusion 24 locked in the second pivot position. However, in thisview, timer circuitry 34 has counted down and solenoid coil 46 has beeninstructed by timer circuitry 34 to move solenoid piston 28 to the firstunlocked position (to the right in this figure), thus allowing lockingbar 26 to return to the first unlocked position.

FIG. 3F shows locking protrusion 24 having pivoted back to the firstpivot position. Weight 40 has caused now freely pivotable lockingprotrusion 24 to pivot back to the first pivot position, ready for theremoval of second item of merchandise 30B. At this juncture, the cycleof pivoting, locking, and unlocking upon the removal of merchandisestarts again, as shown in FIG. 3A, and so forth.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the locking action of the embodiment shown inFIG. 1 in more detail. FIG. 4A shows the device locked in the secondpivot position with solenoid piston 28 having lifted locking bar 26upward into position against second leg 24B proximal to the vertex oflocking protrusion 24. FIG. 4B shows the device in the first unlockedposition, with locking protrusion 24 being returned to the first pivotposition by the force of weight 40. FIGS. 4A and 4B also illustrateanother embodiment of the present invention, having an additionalmechanism for assisting in the return of locking protrusion 24 to thefirst pivot position, namely pivot return bar 50 and pivot return spring52.

FIG. 4A shows solenoid piston 28 located underneath locking bar 26 andholding locking bar 26 in the second locked position. Riser bars 48A-48Dmaintain locking bar 26 in a suitable position for securing lockingprotrusion 24. In this position, locking protrusion 24 has forced pivotreturn bar 50 downward within a niche thus compressing pivot returnspring 52. FIG. 4B shows solenoid piston 28 having moved out fromunderneath locking bar 26, thus allowing locking bar 26 to return to itsoriginal, first unlocked position. In this position, pivot return spring52 forces pivot return bar 50 upward, thus pivoting locking protrusion24 and assisting weight 40 in returning locking protrusion 24 to itsoriginal, first pivot position.

The separate solenoid piston 28 and locking bar 26 embodiment allowstrigger 42 to initiate the locking mechanism 21 while locking protrusion24 is still only halfway actuated (pivoted), creating a point of noreturn that activates locking mechanism 21 before allowing the removalof merchandise 30. Due to variations in product packaging, thisflexibility in the trigger 42 initiation point allows for constituentactuation of the locking mechanism 21 as different types of merchandisepackaging pass over display peg hook 12 at different angles ofactuation. Further, with this configuration, the convex leading edge oflocking protrusion 24 is designed to be flush to the device 10 at thetime of actuation, meaning no force can be applied by solenoid coil 46if there is an obstruction.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the locking action of an alternativeembodiment of the locking mechanism 21 in more detail. In thisalternative embodiment, the solenoid piston 28 and the locking bar 26are a single or unitary structure that slides back and forth (left andright as shown in the figures). FIG. 5A shows the device locked in asecond pivot position with solenoid piston 28/locking bar 26 having beenshifted into position underneath and against first leg 24A proximal tothe vertex of locking protrusion 24. FIG. 5B shows the device in thefirst unlocked position, with locking protrusion 24 being returned tothe first pivot position.

The device can be a retrofit for mounting on a separate display rod orcan be manufactured in conjunction with display rods.

The timer circuitry 34 can be preprogrammed to lock the device 10 for apredetermined period of time, can include an adjustment means forprogramming the period of time in situ, or can include a transceivermeans for remotely programming the period of time. The lockingprotrusion 24 can be structured to allow a single item of merchandise30, two items of merchandise 30, or more items of merchandise 30 to beremoved from the display peg hook 12 during one period of time. Thepower source 36 can be any suitable power source, including a permanentbattery, a removable battery, a rechargeable battery, or a wired powersource.

Other features can include an auger, a turnstile, or a sliding curvedbar in place of locking protrusion 24. The merchandise locking mechanism21 can be attached to and cooperate with a drawer or shelf-top lock. Adisplay and/or indicator can be added to inform the customer of thecountdown timer and/or lock status (attached or remote) so that thecustomer will know when the device 10 will return to a first pivotposition and another item of merchandise 30 can be removed from thedisplay peg hook 12. The timer circuitry 34 can be programmed to countmerchandise 30 removal and the frequency of merchandise 30 removal so asto automatically change the locking interval if pre-defined thresholdsare met. A transmitter, receiver, or transceiver can be included tocommunicate with an external system for the purposes of generatingalerts when pre-defined thresholds are met for security reasons and/orfor tracking inventory. The present invention can be configured to belocked in a second pivot position by default, with unlocking andreturning to a first pivot position to occur only upon receiving asignal from an outside system such as the signal from a credit cardreader, an outside computer, or a device equipped to transmit a signalupon the receipt of a certain amount of money. Such a configuration isideal for use in a vending machine either in an opened or enclosedstate.

The present invention takes advantage of the fact that customer demandis usually spread out over time. It is a relatively rare occurrence thatmultiple customers want the same product at the same time from the samestore, or that a customer wants more than one of the same product;especially for high priced specialty items that would be likely to beprotected. Even when these instances occur, a customer seeking thesecond product has the option of waiting for the time lock to open orfinding an employee to unlock the mechanism. Unlike the obstructivesystems currently in use, the device of the present invention is nearlyas easy to remove the product from as if there were no security measuresat all. Also unlike prior art systems, the present invention does notjust slow someone from removing merchandise, it can stop a person(assuming maintained integrity of the system and product package) for adefinite time period. The present invention also has the ability to beprogrammed with a predetermined time optimized for the product it willbe protecting. For example, it may be more desirable to incorporate alonger delay time for a locking device protecting a product that costs$200 and sells three units per week compared with a lesser time for aproduct that costs $50 and sells ten units a day. Also, in oneembodiment, enough space is left in front of the device to allow thecustomer to place one item back on the rack after removing it to inspectit.

The foregoing detailed description of the preferred embodiments and theappended figures have been presented only for illustrative anddescriptive purposes. They are not intended to be exhaustive and are notintended to limit the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodimentswere selected and described to best explain the principles of theinvention and its practical applications. One skilled in the art willrecognize that many variations can be made to the invention disclosed inthis specification without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for preventing the sweeping ofmerchandise from a display at the point of product selection, the methodcomprising the steps of: a) providing a display bar with items ofmerchandise disposed thereon; b) presenting items of merchandise in asecured state behind a locking protrusion pivotable between a firstpivot position and a second pivot position; c) allowing removal of apredetermined number of items of merchandise by a customer when thelocking protrusion is moving from the first pivot position to the secondpivot position; d) blocking additional items of merchandise from beingremoved from a display hook when said predetermined number of items ofmerchandise pivot the locking protrusion into the second pivot positionwhen said items are moved over a vertex of said locking protrusion; e)locking the blocked additional items of merchandise onto the displayhook for a predetermined amount of time when the locking protrusioncontacts a circuitry activation switch at the second pivot position; f)returning the locking protrusion to the first pivot position after theexpiration of a predetermined amount of time; and g) unblocking apredetermined number of items of merchandise from being removed fromsaid display hook when said locking protrusion returns to the firstpivot position.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step oftransmitting data representing merchandise removal events to an externalsystem.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is carried out onan anti-sweep device for locking merchandise at the point of productselection, the device comprising: a mounting mechanism for attaching thedevice to the display bar; a central body attached to said mountingmechanism; said locking protrusion comprises an L-shaped component thatis pivotally mounted within said central body, said locking protrusionbeing movable from the first pivot position for releasing apredetermined quantity of the merchandise from the display bar and forpreventing any remainder of the merchandise from being removed from thedisplay bar to the second pivot position for locking the merchandise onthe display bar; and a locking bar, wherein a solenoid coil moves saidlocking bar from a first unlocked position while the locking protrusionin the first pivot position to a second locked position for locking thelocking protrusion in the second pivot position and blocking the lockingprotrusion from returning to the first pivot position until saidsolenoid coil is deactivated.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein saidlocking bar further comprises: a solenoid piston in contact with thelocking bar and activated by the solenoid coil, wherein said solenoidpiston moves the locking bar into the second locked position upon theengagement of the solenoid piston and wherein the locking bar in thesecond locked position blocks said locking protrusion from returning tothe first pivot position until said solenoid piston is disengaged. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the device is in the second pivotposition by default and only moves to the first pivot position whensignaled to do so by an outside system.
 6. The method of claim 3,wherein the display bar comprises parallel bars and said mountingmechanism further comprises edge attachment means adapted to cooperatewith the parallel bars whereby the device is located between andsupported by the parallel bars.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein theedge attachment means are pivotally connected to a pivoting bridgemeans, wherein said edge attachment means attach said device to saidparallel bars upon the pivoting of the pivoting bridge means.
 8. Themethod of claim 6, further comprising engaging said mounting mechanismin response to the activation of a lever mechanism.
 9. The method ofclaim 3, further comprising a circuitry activation switch mounted insaid central body in contact with said trigger when said lockingprotrusion is in a second pivot position, wherein: said lockingprotrusion further comprises a vertex, said locking protrusion pivotallymounted in said central body at said vertex, and having a first leg anda second leg attached at said vertex, said first leg having a trigger;said locking bar engages upon the engagement of the circuitry activationswitch by the trigger, wherein said locking bar blocks the vertex or thesecond leg of the locking protrusion, preventing the locking protrusionfrom pivoting, such that the locking protrusion remains in the secondpivot position and cannot return to a first pivot position for apredetermined amount of time.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising a solenoid piston for moving in response to engagement of thecircuitry activation switch, and for moving the locking bar into asecond locked position in order to lock the locking protrusion in thefirst pivot position.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the locking baracts upon the vertex.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the locking baracts upon the second leg.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein saidsecond leg further comprises a weight, and wherein said weight pivotsand returns said locking protrusion to the first pivot position aftersaid locking bar is lowered.
 14. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising a return bar and a pivot return spring, wherein said returnbar and pivot return spring assist the weight in returning said lockingprotrusion to the first pivot position upon the lowering of the lockingbar.
 15. The method of claim 9, further comprising a mounting mechanismcomprising edge attachment means adapted to cooperate with parallel barsof a display bar and pivotally connected to a pivoting bridge means,wherein said edge attachment means attach said device to said parallelbars upon the pivoting of the pivoting bridge means.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising engaging said mounting mechanism inresponse to the activation of a lever mechanism.